Dreams: Fire and Ice
by Neplusultra
Summary: Some say the world will end in fire some say in ice Robert Frost


Hello.  
Ranma1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi, and distributed in the US under  
license from Viz. The poem in the story is 'Fire and Ice' by Robert Frost  
(published 1920).  
  
Dreams: Fire and Ice  
A fanfiction by Neplusultra  
  
  
Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
  
The couple walked through the park softly, and the people walked softly  
around them. For if Ranma and Akane themselves were distrustful of their  
recently acquired peace the people of Nerima were doubly doubtful. It was  
as if they walked in a world apart from everyone else, people hushed their  
voices to whispers and cast wary glances about when the two of them walked  
by. Not that they didn't like the children, but they just didn't want to  
get caught up in any of their fights.  
  
The two in question seemed to be slightly apprehensive as well, if not  
for quite the same reason. Akane kept on glancing up at her Ranma, almost  
shyly, and smiling a weird little smile and looking quite unlike a tomboy  
in her powder blue evening gown. Ranma for his part looked a peculiarly  
uncomfortable sort of happy. One side of his face quirked up in a half  
smile he'd turn his head toward Akane every little while and seem about to  
say something only to stop, shake his head a little and keep on moving.  
And so they were content to their leisurely walk through the park  
together, holding hands.  
  
The pair wound their way around the park for a time and eventually ended  
up near the center at the gazebo. It wasn't a fancy thing really, just a  
small place to sit in the shade during the summer. There was a quiet  
fountain nearby and the wind was rustling in the branches of the cherry  
trees quietly. Aside from the two of them there was almost nobody else  
left in the park, all but the bravest having quietly filed out some time  
ago.  
  
Ranma sat down in the gazebo with Akane leaning up against him softly,  
still holding hands. The sound of Ranma clearing his throat broke the  
silence. "Well, uhh, I had fun tonight Akane." His statement had the  
sound of a question.  
  
Akane grinned. "Yes, it was nice."  
  
"Yea."  
  
"But Ranma."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Next time let me pick the movie? 'The Legend of the Master' isn't much  
for a date film."  
  
Ranma's face fell so quickly that Akane let out a peal of laughter,  
which made Ranma smile just as fast. The laugh went of for some time.  
  
Finally after a while Ranma stood, gently pulling Akane up with him. He  
turned to face her and smiled softly, a determined look in his stormy blue  
eyes. "Akane, I...," he ventured before he broke off and lapsed into  
silence.  
  
"What is it Ranma? Did you want to tell me something?" She asked in a  
small voice and got only a small nod in return.  
  
"Akane, I... I just wanted to tell you something." She looked at him  
expectantly. "I love you." It came out in a rush, slightly afraid even.  
  
He needent have worried. Her face brightened, her smile radiant she  
threw her arms around him and they kissed. For a single, short, eternal  
moment they held each other in that embrace. Savoring their first true  
kiss.  
  
Breaking away slightly Akane looked up into Ranma's eyes and opened her  
mouth a bit to speak. Her body gave a slight shudder and went rigid, her  
face became an expression of shock. Ranma's face went blank, as if he  
knew the truth even as he pulled further away.  
  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
  
Akane's beautiful blue dress was ruined. From slightly off-center on  
her chest about a half inch of a blooded steel blade marred her breast.  
The blood was beginning to make the dress stick to her skin as it seeped  
from around the blade.  
  
As the blade was removed Ranma gently set his love down on the ground,  
never looking up from her until he was done laying her in a comfortable  
looking position. Bits of a white flame-like glow was beginning to show  
around his body as he looked up at the Akane's slayer.  
  
He looked blankly at the vaguely female form clothed all in black  
standing before him, his face showing no recognition. One arm hung at her  
side limply, barely holding the sword from falling to the ground as the  
other pushed back her hood. Not a single strand of hair graced her head  
as she looked at him with lost eyes, barely holding back tears. "Ranma,"  
she choked out, "you come home to China now. Shampoo...I make much better  
wife for husband than Kitchen Destroyer."  
  
Ranma's anger blazed forth through his pure white aura. The heat  
causing Shampoo to take an involuntary step back. He didn't speak a word,  
and his face showed no emotion. Even the blind could have seen the anger  
in his burning aura. Shampoo's one step back became another, became  
another, and became yet several more. Ranma's aura grew larger by the  
second. The grass it touched blackened and shriveled in on itself and the  
suit he had rented for the night began to smolder.  
  
He took a step towards Shampoo, another and stopped. He looked her in  
the eyes and asked, "Why," as she visibly held back her flinch.  
  
Her only response was a small sob.  
  
Shampoo never felt the power as the white light reached out towards her,  
enfolded her body and killed her.  
  
Cologne lowered the binoculars from her eyes and sighed. "Oh son-in-  
law. Ranma. I'm so sorry."  
  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To say that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice.  
  
Before the rest of the Hunt could go get themselves killed Cologne held  
out her had level to the ground in a fist. The sign to stop.  
  
One of the young ones turned towards her. She didn't quite remember her  
name, Violet she thought, or some other silly western name. Some of the  
ideas these new generations had. "But Honored Elder. How can we just let  
that man," she sneered the word, "kill warrior Shampoo like that. Don't  
you care about your great granddaughter? Surely with your help we would  
have no problems with him."  
  
If a look from Cologne could kill, Happy would have been dead decades  
ago. That didn't stop her from trying to perfect the technique on the  
young Violet though. "Do you question me child? We wait."  
  
The light from Ranma's aura was still shining like a beacon fire as she  
picked up the binoculars again. The boy had turned back towards Akane and  
was just looking at her.  
  
And it was like that, Ranma's blazing light illuminating like the sun on  
a clear summer day and the dust-like ashes of her murderer rising up on  
the wind stirred up by his heat, that Akane Tendo, beloved of Ranma  
Saotome seemed to whisper something, cough and die.  
  
Ranma's aura disappeared as suddenly as if someone had turned a light  
switch, leaving all the amazons blinking, blind in the night. Cologne  
sighed. "Come children. Son-in...Ranma presents no threat to anyone  
anymore. It's time to go home. He is empty." It was a shame really.  
His light had shined so very bright.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
The little girl in the lilac print dress looked over the scene with  
teary eyes. She, along with the older man next to her, obviously her  
father, had looked on as Akane Tendo had been stabbed and watched as her  
death had been revenged. They had even watched as Ranma's soul had given  
itself up to death when Akane breathed her last, leaving behind nothing  
but a shell. Through it all they had stood watch, not impassively, for  
there were tears in their eyes. But watch they did.  
  
"Daddy," said the little girl, tugging on his sleeve. He didn't look  
down. "Daddy," she tried again with success. "I don't wanna daddy."  
  
"Honey, you know you have to. If you don't what will happen? They'll  
be here with their sorrow for a long time. You don't want that do you?"  
  
Her porcelain face paled even more. "But Daddy. If they go to the happy  
place they'll forget it all daddy. He just told her 'I love you'. It's  
just not fair, you gotta do something Daddy."  
  
"You're right honey, it's not fair."  
  
"I don't like this story anymore daddy. It was a fun story, but I don't  
like the end. Tell it again." The last was said with a stomp of her tiny  
foot, causing the man to give a little grin.  
  
The man led his daughter over to the bench in the gazebo, sat down and  
patted his right knee. She hopped up into his arms and snuggled against  
his chest a little.  
  
The man cleared his throat a little and began. "Well my dear, I'm going  
to tell you a story. And this one's about a young man called Ranma  
Saotome..." 


End file.
